Thursday, July 22, 2010

Calgary's population hits 1,071,515 - Civic Census Results

The 2010 Civic Census results from April 2009 to April 2010 show that Calgary’s population has reached 1,071,515.

This is an increase of 6,060 residents - a population growth of 0.57 per cent the smallest percent growth since 1984 when the overall population decreased by 0.14 per cent.

Highlights from the Civic Census

Community Growth:

Panorama Hills was the only community that had a population increase over 1,000, it increased by 1,455 residents.

7 communities grew by 100% or more. The substantial percentage growth of these communities reflects their overall small population. The communities are:

Skyview Ranch (2638% or 686 residents)

Mahogany (2245% or 247 residents)

Sage Hill (165% or 440 residents)

Foothills (100% or 285 residents)

Walden (100% or 210 residents)

Sunridge (100% or 73 residents)

Legacy (100% or 12 residents)

Net Migration and Natural Increase:

From April 2009 to April 2010, 4,154 more people moved away from Calgary than moved to Calgary. The last time Calgary experienced a negative net migration was 1992 when the net migration was (-853).

Natural increase (the result of births over deaths) continued to be a source of growth at 10,214, up 571 from last year’s figure of 9,643.

Housing

The number of housing units, both existing and under construction, increased to 445,455 up from 438,663. This is an increase of 6,792 from April 2009.

The number of vacant dwelling units in Calgary increased from 13,012 in 2009 to 16,929 in 2010. The overall vacancy rate in the city is 3.93%, up from 3.08% in April 2009.

There are now 414,185 occupied dwellings. Of this number, 292,627 or 70.65% are owner-occupied. In 2009, the comparable percentage was 71.14%.

The Civic Census Results Book (re-designed for 2010) will be available online at calgary.ca/census.

What is the Civic Census?

The Civic Census is the official count of dwelling units and the population who are living in these units, by the door to door physical collection and recording of data. This count of dwellings and residents may be supplemented yearly with other information such as the periodic age/sex distribution data, etc. This additional data is pertinent to the use and interpretation of the population statistics.

The City of Calgary first conducted a Civic Census in 1931 and continued periodically until 1958 when an annual count of population started and has continued since.

Why is the Civic Census taken?

The annual Civic Census information is used by The City for a variety of planning and program service delivery purposes, and by the Province for the determination of grants if available. The information is also used by a variety of outside agencies such as communities, businesses, charities, researchers, etc.

***Mayor Dave Bronconnier takes a break from talking about the Civic Census to discuss his fishing trip: "I caught a trout that was this big . . ."